The Grove

The Grove is a conceptual mobile app designed to support Trees That Count and their mission to restore native forests across New Zealand. As part of a university design project, our team of five set out to solve a key challenge: while Trees That Count provides expert planting guidance and maintenance support, there is currently no system for knowledge-sharing or connection between planters themselves. This creates unnecessary pressure on experts and limits the collaborative potential of community-based planting efforts.

Our proposed solution was to design a digital network that connects individual planters, community groups, and organisations under a unified system — enabling them to share insights, celebrate progress, and build long-term engagement. As team lead, I coordinated our research, prototyping, and user testing phases. Through iterative development and feedback from both internal and external testers, we refined the app to include intuitive onboarding, location-based community features, and interactive planting tools.

The Grove reflects our vision for a more connected and resilient restoration movement — one where knowledge, motivation, and celebration are shared across a national network of tree planters, all working toward a greener future.